FRANKFORT – Today, Nov. 16, is the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout. As part of the 52 Weeks of Public Health Campaign, the Kentucky Department for Public Health within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services is raising awareness about lung cancer in Kentucky.

Lung cancer impacts Kentuckians more than any other cancer. In Kentucky, both men and women have significantly higher rates of lung cancer than other state in the U.S. More Kentuckians have died from lung cancer than all of the next seven leading causes of cancer death combined.

(This is the third article in our four-part series on Partner Violence)

When most people hear the phrase “domestic violence” and who have had the good fortune not to have experienced it, they think of physical violence and possibly sexual assault. We’ll read about it or see it on TV. The courts issue protective orders for the most part to protect a person from physical and sexual assault.

We can follow the Croan Family roots going back to Maryland. The name Croan could be spelled several different ways Robert Crone (Croan) was born 1747 in Maryland and was married to Letitia Knox. They had several children. They were Robert, James, John, Thomas and Elizabeth Croan. In 1800, Robert and his family moved to Huntington, Pennsylania. Robert died in 1832 and he was buried in the McCullochs Mills Cemetery in Pennsylvania. Robert wife Letitia died in 1853 and her place of burial unknown.

Several months ago in Trimble County a nightmare occurred in daylight. Lora Cable was granted a no unlawful contact domestic violence order against her partner Timothy Riddle. The next day, Valentine’s Day, he walked into her work at a doctor’s office and killed her.

The Kentucky State Treasurer’s Office has recently learned of a telephone fraud scheme listing the Kentucky State Treasury as its physical address.

Under this scheme, an individual is notified that he or she is eligible for a “free grant” of thousands of dollars. The individual is then instructed to wire money or purchase gift cards for the scammer in exchange for the promise of receiving this “free grant.”

When Ellen heard her husband come through the door, she knew this would be a bad night. Quickly sending her kids to their room, she turned the music up so they wouldn’t hear what was coming. After last night’s beating, Ellen had made sure to do all he’d asked of her today: cooked his food, cleaned the house, washed and folded his clothes, and dressed exactly the way he wanted. Still, it was never enough. As he walked toward her, Ellen wondered just what she’d done wrong this time.

After a terrible and very public tragedy such as a mass shooting, people want to help in any way possible, and that often means contributing to fundraisers to help the survivors and the families of the victims. Sadly, scammers often take advantage of these moments of vulnerability to deceive donors. In addition, there are often campaigns set up by well-meaning individuals who may or may not be directly connected to the tragedy.

BBB serving Louisville, Southern Indiana, and Western Kentucky is alerting local consumers about the latest data breach announcement. Equifax, one of the three credit reporting bureaus, announced that personal information may have been exposed for about 143 million Americans.

1. When disasters strike, scammers come out of the woodwork. Before you give to help Hurricane Harvey victims, check out the charity at give.org first to be sure your dollars are going to a legitimate charity.